Jay Willey is a woman on a mission.

Resplendent in her customary designer attire, the 41-year-old businesswoman is sitting in the Coral Stand talking about her ambitious plans for the Bulls.

She wants a capacity crowd of 25,000 for the visit of Leeds on May 3; she dreams of restoring the club to former glories; she wants to complete a charity bike ride from Bradford to Wembley in one piece.

She would like her story – the girl from the tough estate building herself a business empire – to inspire others.

Jay looks happy, she always does, but behind the smile there is much pain.

During the past 15 years she has lost not only her parents but also two of her three brothers.

“There were seven of us – my mum and dad, my three brothers and me and my sister Jo,” says Willey, who hails from Holme Wood and is on the verge of completing a six-figure deal to buy a stake in the Bulls.

“My parents lost a little girl called Kim before we were born so they had already suffered a terrible loss.

“She only weighed a couple of pounds and lived for only a couple of days.

“Then they had Peter, David and Ian before myself and then Jo.

“We were all really close growing up, having fun and playing on our bikes.

“It was a very happy upbringing and a lot different to how Holme Wood is now.”

Willey’s agony began when brother Ian was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age. He died from the disease in 1998 aged 33.

“They call diabetes the ‘silent killer’ and Ian lived with it even without the medical advances we have now which make it more manageable,” explains Willey.

“He was insulin dependent and we used to have our meals at certain times to accommodate his dietary needs.

“As he got older, he had two kidney transplants and they both failed.

“He was in his mid to late 20s at that point and then had a third transplant.

“Ian started to have problems with his eyesight and heart problems; he was actually on the waiting list for a triple heart bypass when he got pneumonia and was rushed into hospital. The next thing he had passed.”

Willey, who is a mother to two girls, was hit by another hammer blow in 2008.

Her eldest brother David suffered a fatal heart attack aged 44.

She remembers: “I received the phone call telling me he had collapsed and died.”

Willey lost her father in 2009 and her mother in 2011.

The pain remains raw but Willey’s career success can be seen as a triumph over adversity and proof positive that with dedication and hard work you can improve the hand you are dealt.

Six weeks after giving birth to her first child, she was back at work.

“I’ve never not worked,” she says.

“I left school and did a City and Guilds in retail and distribution with a YTS at Morrisons.

“Then I started to work in beauty but then I realised I had the gift of the gab so I started selling stationery and I absolutely loved it.

“So I went on to be a sales rep, got more into the IT side of the business and started training in IT.

“I learnt quickly, found it interesting and discovered that if you were prepared to work hard you could make a decent wage.

“I have always been ambitious and worked hard to build a better future for my children, as we all do; I have always wanted my own business.

“I knew what I wanted, I just had to work hard to get it. Sometimes I felt like I’ve been quite fortunate but you make your own luck in life.”

When the recession hit in 2007, profits in the IT industry dipped and Willey returned to beauty.

“It’s one of the few industries which hasn’t taken a massive slump,” she says.

“I came on board with KROMA three years ago when they were looking for a UK distributor. I now own KROMA Makeup Eu.”

The business is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Kardashian family but Willey is staying positive throughout.

She suffers from an underactive thyroid which she manages with medication but has found comfort from spiritualists and is clearly proud of her daughters.

“I do get really down at times but I’ve had messages from my brothers and parents from a brilliant spiritualist in Great Horton,” she says.

“You put your make-up on and a brave face, and everybody sees the happy, smiley Jay, but when I go home I miss my family who have passed away.

"But my girls are amazing. My eldest is studying to be a mental health nurse and is in her last year at Bradford University and my youngest is a budding diva and has twice entered Britain’s Got Talent.”

Throughout the trauma experienced by her family, Willey has remained close to brother Peter and sister Jo, who is also a diabetic.

Her purchase of a shareholding in the Bulls should soon be complete.

“I’m not saying I want to be a millionaire, I just want to be successful and leave my children something to be proud of me for,” adds Willey.

“I’d also like to do mentoring and help to raise awareness of diabetes. Being involved with the Bulls is a brilliant opportunity and I believe I can make a difference here.”

The city of Bradford, collectively, should wish her well.